Phones Are Ringing All Over Town
by ee-ii-ee-ii-oo
Summary: The sound of sirens coming closer rattled her bones and shook her back into consciousness. She felt moisture running down her face, unsure of whether it was tears or blood... The aftermath of the Season Finale. An ensemble story. All cast included.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first "Nashville" fanfiction, though I have dabbled in writing some other shows on various sites.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Callie Khouri and ABC own it all. I'm just borrowing. (Though I wish I could have Connie Britton's hair and my very own Deacon Clayborne).

This is my take on the immediate aftermath of the season finale. So, without further ado:

* * *

**Phones Are Ringing All Over Town**

The sound of sirens coming closer rattled her bones and shook her back into consciousness.

She felt moisture running down her face, unsure of whether it was tears or blood. Her thoughts turn to her girls. Daphne, so young and full of life. Maddie, not far from the age she was when she lost her own mother in a car crash. She closed her eyes and shivered as she thought of the similarities.

The sounds moved closer as she focused all of her energy on the next breath that became more and more difficult, determined to not put her daughters through what she went through so many years earlier.

And the man beside her ... she would fight for him too. Because she loved him.

* * *

Everything was fuzzy.

Not from the pills or the bottle of booze he had downed all too recently. At least not entirely. He knew he hit his head. He felt the shards of glass in his scalp, wasn't sure his ear was there at all. The brutal reality of what had just transpired hit him hard as he shut his eyes to the blurry headlights that appeared.

With the light blocked out, his thoughts turned to the woman beside him. She had deceived him for so many years. She thought he needed protecting. More like she was protecting herself, he thought bitterly. The sound of her struggling to breath in the upside down drivers seat made the bitterness turn to concern.

As he faded out of consciousness, he couldn't help but think that he wouldn't make it if she didn't survive.

* * *

"Mr. Mayor?"

Teddy glanced at the screen of his phone, not recognizing or expecting the voice at 11 p.m. "Chief Miller? Is something wrong? Makes me nervous when the chief of police calls this time of night. What's going on."

"Teddy, this is more of a personal nature. There was an accident."

Teddy's heart skipped a beat. He knew the girls were safe in their beds. He had checked on them just before he went to bed himself. "What ... what kind of accident, Phil?"

"A car crash. Your, um, wife lost control of the vehicle she was driving..."

"Oh, God. Is she alive?"

The other man's voice was heavy with tension. "Yes. She was when they left the scene. They are taking her to Vanderbilt. EMS is notifying the hospital to up security ahead of their arrival and to prepare for media inquiries. They'll make sure to maintain her privacy until her family desires to say anything."

Teddy was already throwing jeans and a shirt on, and searching for his keys, when the chief spoke up again.

"Teddy, um ... she wasn't alone in the car."

Her ex-husband froze. He immediately knew. Deacon.

"Is he alive?"

"Mr. Clayborne? Yes. But they both have very serious injuries. Do you know of anyone I should call for him?

Teddy thought quickly. "He's got a niece here in town. Scarlett is her name, I think. I don't have a number for her. You know what, call Coleman. He'll know how to deal with that. I've got to get my girls down to see their mother," he said as his blood boiled. "Deacon Clayborne is not my problem."

* * *

They moved around the house in silence, until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I still can't believe you said no."

"I didn't say no. I said I'm not ready. There's a difference." Scarlett looked Gunnar in the eye, as her face softened. "Look. I love you. I do. But with everything that has gone on in the last few months - with Jason, and your music, and my record deal, and you getting arrested - marriage is a big step. We need to get back to where we were before we can even start to think about moving forward."

"Scarlett ... " he hesitated.

"What?"

"Is this about Avery?"

She looked taken aback. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I saw you guys singing together the other night." He leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms. "At his show."

"You were there?"

"For one song." He couldn't meet her stare. "It looked ... Do you still have feelings for him?"

She paused. "He's changed. He ..."

Gunnar didn't wait. He turned grabbed his coat and walked out the door, hearing Scarlett's phone ring as she called his name from the other side of the door.

He was halfway down the block, when he heard her call his name again, closer this time and with more urgency. "Gunnar, wait!" The fear he heard in her trembling voice made him stop and turn to her. She was running toward him, tears in her eyes.

"What is it?"

"It's Deacon. He was in a car accident. With Rayna." Gunnar pulled her into his arms as she sobbed. "It's bad. Coleman just called me. They are taking him to Vanderbilt. I need..."

He took her by the hand and lead her to his car before she could say another word.

* * *

Teddy pulled his SUV into the underground garage at the hospital, as the police chief had instructed him.

In his passenger seat, Maddie sat stoically staring out the window in disbelief. Her little sitter was in the back seat, sniffling and crying off and on. It broke Teddy's heart to see his little girls - both of them - hurting like this.

_Dammit, Rayna_, he thought to himself. _How could you do this to them! To me! How could you let HIM do this to us._

He looked over at Maddie again and realized that he couldn't place all of his anger on Deacon anymore. At least not out loud. It would only confuse her even more and that wouldn't be fair to any of them.

They were met by a hospital PR official, whose badge read Delia, as well as a security guard and led up to the emergency department, where two trauma rooms were being cleaned. The young lady from the hospital introduced Teddy to a man in his late 50s, wearing scrubs.

"Mr. Conrad, I'm Dr. Jones, I treated your wife when she was brought in to the center. Let's go some place we can talk." He signaled for the trio to follow him. They were met by a woman with a gentle smile. "This is Katherine. She is one of our best nurses. Why don't you pretty girls go with her so I can talk to your dad."

Daphne, clearly uncomfortable in the emergency department, hastily nodded and moved toward the kind looking nurse. But Maddie remained in place. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to see my mom. Whatever you have to tell him, you can tell me too."

Teddy met eyes with the physician and nodded.

Dr. Jones ushered them into a lounge area and sat in a chair across from the couch where Teddy and Maddie sat.

"I'm going to be very honest with you. She is in bad shape, but she is currently in the hands of some of the best surgeons in the country," he said, looking directly at Teddy. "The next few hours are critical. When the car flipped, her seat somehow moved forward into the steering wheel. She hit the wheel at a high rate of speed with her chest and abdomen. She has internal bleeding and possible damage to her heart. We took her into surgery almost immediately. The surgeons said it could take a few hours." The physician paused to let it sink in.

"What about Deacon?" Maddie broke the silence. Both men looked at the teenager. "He was in the car with her. What about him?"

Dr. Jones looked surprised. "Mr. Clayborne is being treated by another physician. He can only talk to family though."

"Well, he can talk to me, since I am his daughter."

"Maddie!" Teddy couldn't help but shout at her.

"Well, it's true!" she said, looking at him, hurt expression on her face. "You know it. You've known it my entire life."

The doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable at the situation he found himself in, and was distracted when his pager went off for another patient. "I have to check on this. I will see about getting a status update on Mr. Clayborne. Why don't you two go wait in the surgical waiting room we have set up for your privacy."

The pair got up, tension following their every move. Delia led them to a room on the surgical floor, where they met back up with Daphne. Maddie went to sit in a corner of the room, arms crossed, while Daphne immediately sat in her father's lap and asked him what was going on.

He was whispering a watered down response, when the door flew open, revealing a disheveled looking blonde. She looked surprised to see anyone inside. She immediately recognized Teddy.

"Mr. Conrad. I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here," Scarlett said, launching into an apology. "This is where the lady at the front desk told me to come. She said that someone would come and talk to us about Uncle Deacon. I ... I knew he was in a bad state, but ... I didn't, I didn't think he would ..."

"Scarlett," he remembered her vaguely, knew she was Deacon's niece, as well as Rayna's new singer for her label. Teddy put his hands gently on her shoulders, as a tall young man he'd never seen before and Coleman walked into the room following behind her. "It's okay. You're as much a part of this as we are. This room is for all of us. It's going to be a media circus out there, and it's best that we stay in one place."

Scarlett nodded as she sunk onto one of the couches, the man, who Teddy assumed was her boyfriend, sat quietly beside her rubbing her back.

Coleman motioned for Teddy to follow him outside the room.

"So how is she?" he asked in a low tone.

Teddy sighed. "It's touch and go. They took her into surgery almost immediately. She was in before we got here. She has internal damage to her chest and abdomen. Possibly her heart. It doesn't sound good. I don't know ..." his voice faded as he leaned against the wall.

"Any word on Deacon," Coleman asked, carefully approaching the subject. He saw the fire in Teddy's eyes, but the watched as the defeated man shook his head. "They wouldn't say anything to us. Only to family. And then Maddie said ..."

He couldn't go any farther. Tears formed in his eyes and he looked away.

Coleman nodded in understanding. "Has anyone called Tandy and Lamar?"

"Yeah. They should be on their way."

* * *

So, that was chapter one. Next chapter: Scarlett ponders her uncle's future. The media circus begins. Juliette and Avery find out about the crash.


	2. Chapter 2

**Same disclaimer: Still don't own "Nashville." **

**So, chapter 2. I am trying something here that may backfire, but I can't help where the muse goes. So if you are totally grossed out by what I did, I apologize. But just go with it. Things might surprise you. (If you don't like it, feel free to offer ****constructive**** criticism in the reviews. :)**

**Enjoy, and Thanks for all the reviews! I Love 'em!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"That was good, kid," Marshall said to Juliette as he hugged her good night. "You sure you don't need me to take you home? I saw you send your assistant and bodyguard home."

She smiled at Edgehill's president. "Thanks, but I want to hang out here a little longer. I'll call a cab. I'm fine. I just need some alone time. The owner said she'll wait for me in her office so she can lock up after I'm done."

"Okay. Just be careful."

"I will. Night, Marshall." He turned and walked out the back exit, answering his ringing phone as he went.

Juliette remained on the barstool, where she had played all night. "Hope you liked that, Mama," she said to the sky. She plucked a few notes on her guitar, and sighed into the silence of the room, allowing a tear to fall onto the leg of her jeans.

Suddenly the front door to the restaurant opened and she looked up at the figure standing there, startled.

The figure emerged from the shadows and Juliette sighed. "God, Avery. You scared me."

"Sorry," he shrugged, looking around at the chairs upside down on clean tables. "I forgot my phone. What are you doing sitting here? I thought you were going home."

"Just ... needed some time."

He nodded, understanding. He stood awkwardly, watching her compose herself again.

"You want a ride home?" he asked tentatively. "I noticed that your shadow and the secret service goon have disappeared. Were you planning to walk?"

She made a face at him. "Haha. Funny. I was going to call a cab. They've been watching me like a hawk since ... since it happened. Watching me like I was going to shatter into a million pieces. I needed a break from it."

"Come on, I'll take you home." He motioned for her to follow him.

"You?"

"Why not? " He held out his hand to her with a charming smile. "Don't you trust me?"

After thinking it over, she reached out to him and took his hand. "Fine."

He grabbed his phone as she shouted to the owner that she was leaving. They walked out the door and across the parking lot to his truck. He opened the door for her and bowed. "It's no limo, but I did just clean her out."

She giggled and rolled her eyes at his antics.

He hopped in the driver's seat and looked at her. "Where to, M'Lady."

"Enough, Barkley," she laughed, realizing it was the first time she had truly done that since they found her mother. Possibly longer than that. "Just head to Belle Meade."

"As you wish."

They pulled out of the lot and, after a few minutes of quiet, she looked over at him. "Tell me about yourself."

"Huh?"

"You know everything about me. Everyone does. Tell me about your completely normal, completely anonymous life."

He chuckled. "I guess one person's blessing is another person's curse. Well, I was born -"

His voice stopped as they came upon a roadblock with police car lights shining brightly. He rolled down the window for the approaching officer and she watched, sitting back into the darkness of the passenger seat.

"What's going on, officer?"

The middle aged patrolman leaned toward the window to talk to Avery. "There was an accident ahead. We are sending people down Martin Circle as a detour."

"Must have been bad, to have it blocked this far," Avery questioned.

"I'm sorry I can't give you any information about that, sir. You two have a good night and stay safe."

"Thank you." Avery rolled up his window and turned onto the detour road. "Sounds scary."

Juliette was quick to change the subject. "So you were telling me about yourself..."

* * *

Hours had past. It felt like days to Scarlett. Gunnar had fallen asleep beside her. In fact, the only person not dosing at that moment was Teddy. She didn't fault any of them for sleeping. It was close to 4 am. She was exhausted too. But she couldn't sleep. She had been on the phone with her mother off and on all night. She would be headed to Nashville at first light to be with her little brother.

One of Deacon's surgeons had taken a break long enough to come talk to her. He had told her that the neurosurgeon was currently working on him, that he had some brain bleeding and swelling. He had also called in a plastic surgeon to fix the severe lacerations to his face that had apparently gone through the window. He had lost a lot of blood because of that window. Almost too much.

He had some broken bones that had to be fixed, but they were afraid to put him through too much at one time. So they would set the bones, then go back in at a later date to repair the damage with pins and screws.

It broke Scarlett's heart to hear the doctor's words. To know what he went through and to know how difficult recovery would be. The worst part, she knew, would be the blame he placed on himself for the accident. She knew that he would take it hard, especially if Rayna didn't make it.

She felt Gunnar's hand squeeze her's as he slept, and, knowing there was nothing she could do about any of it, she placed her head on his shoulder and allowed herself to drift off for a few brief moments.

* * *

"Lamar!" "Mr. Wyatt! Mr. Wyatt! What can you tell us about Rayna's condition?!"

The shouts were loud and camera flashes blinding outside the front entrance of the hospital. Lamar shielded his eyes with his hands and quickly moved past the throng of reporters and camera crews. Word had quickly spread through the local media, and the morning news shows were preparing for their live shots.

"Excuse me, please," Lamar said to the crowd.

"Is Rayna going to make it?!" another reporter shouted.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, if you people will get the hell out of my way." He finally reached the door and walked inside. He had already been told where the families were gathering, so he turned the corner and went directly to the elevator.

"You sure know how to make an entrance." He turned at the voice behind him.

"It's a shame you had to go through the front door, rather than the back entrance that everyone else used. Did they not tell you?" Tandy scoffed at her own comment. "Oh, nevermind, what was I thinking? Lamar Wyatt would never miss an opportunity to garner the sympathy of all of Nashville, possibly even the nation. I heard that the ABC affiliate was working details out to go live on Good Morning America."

"Tandy - ," he said as a bell was heard and the elevator door opened.

"Don't," she stated simply and walked onto the elevator.

He followed suit, ignoring the bitterness in her tone.

* * *

The first stream of dim sunlight filtered over Avery's face, waking him from a deep sleep. The feeling of a soft rug underneath his apparent state of undress gave him reason to open his eyes completely in an effort to figure out where he was.

He glanced over the huge open space that appeared to be a living room in some mansion.

Then it hit him. The memories of last night.

_Driving Juliette home. _

_Coming in for coffee, until she realized she had no idea how to use her own coffee maker. They ate ice cream from the carton instead. They talked. About everything and nothing all at once. _

_Then she kissed him, and he kissed her back until he was lying on top of her on the couch. Then he stopped._

_"Whoa, hey," he said as he pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers. "Hey."_

_"Hey," she replied with a smile._

_"Why are we doing this?" he asked._

_"Doing what?"_

_"This," he said, waving his hand between them._

_She suddenly became shy. "Why not?"_

_"Are you doing this because of your mother?"_

_A look of fire crossed Juliette's face. She pulled away and stood up from the couch before he knew what was happening. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

_"I just mean that you've been through a lot and if this is some kind of emotional response ..." He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it was too late to take it back._

_"How dare you bring my mama into this!" she screamed as she began to pace the floor. "I was doing it because I wanted to. Do you know how many men would give their right arm to be you right now?"_

_Avery nodded. "I know how many men would be willing to take advantage of you and your current situation. Believe me. I do. I used to be one of those guys. I would do anything I could to get ahead, even if it meant taking advantage whenever possible. And you know where it got me? Nowhere. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I'm working hard not to be him."_

_He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I only asked because I don't want you to regret this in the morning. I have had a good time tonight, and I hope you are feeling better. I want to help you feel better. But not this way. Not for that reason."_

_Juliette looked down at her feet as Avery stood from the couch and grabbed his keys off the coffee table. He walked through the room and was about to place his hand on the door knob, when her voice stopped him cold._

_"It wasn't about Mama."_

_He turned to face her._

_"It's about the fact that you treat me like a normal person. When we were writing the other day I felt like you really understood me." With each word, she stepped closer to him. "Like you didn't expect me to write some pop princess bubble gum crap. You pushed me to write what I wanted to write. My songs. And then you showed up at the funeral. You saw me with no makeup, dressed in black. A mess. And then you took care of me tonight and made sure I got home. I've only had that once in my life. And that ... was never going to last. So it wasn't about Mama. It was about you."_

_They were face to face at that point. He smiled._

_"That ... was a very good answer."_

_Then he took her face in his hands and leaned in..._

A stirring beside him brought him back to the present. He looked down as Juliette's eyes fluttered open and met his.

"Morning," he greeted her.

"Hey," her voice croaked slightly. She looked around and grinned. "We spent all night on this rug. I have six beds upstairs and we slept on the floor."

"'Slept' may be stretching it a bit," he laughed.

She yawned and got up, taking the blanket they were snuggled up in with her. He shook his head and got up, searching for his boxer briefs. When they were in place, he followed her to the kitchen, where she stood at the fridge, wrapped loosely in the blanket.

"I'm not much of a cook ..."

"Shocking!"

She threw a convenient dish rag at him as she continued " ... but I have milk and cereal."

He nodded as he moved around to take the milk from her. She moved over the get the cereal from the pantry, grabbing the remote control and flipping on the television as she went. The early morning local news came on, with the volume on low, but they both heard it.

_"We go again to our top story, the horrific car crash that has landed one of Nashville's biggest superstars in the hospital. Rayna James, four-time CMA female vocalist of the year and multiple Grammy winner was involved in a car crash early this morning just outside downtown Nashville." _Juliette turned the volume up so that she could hear the report, then backed up into Avery's arms. "_While her condition remains unknown at this point, we are being told that she and the passenger in the vehicle, guitarist Deacon Clayborne, were injured and were rushed to the trauma center at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center."_

Juliette gasped at Deacon's name, and Avery's mind immediately went to Scarlett.

_"While the hospital has not confirmed the condition of either James or Clayborne, a rep for the country star has said that the family will make a statement at some point today. For more, we go now to Jeff Dawson, who is live at Vanderbilt University Medical Center ..."_

Avery watched as, with cell phone in hand, Juliette dialed the only person she could think of. "Marshall, it's me. What the hell happened?! ... Is she going to be okay? ... What about Deacon? ... Shit. Can I come up there? ... I know, but - she was at the funeral, okay? I feel like I should be there for her too. And for Deacon. ... Okay. I'll see you in a little while."

"What did he say?"

Juliette looked up at him. "Rayna is out of surgery, but it's touch and go. Deacon's still in the operating room. They don't know ..." Her tears threatened to fall. "I treated him so badly. The last time I saw him ..."

He leaned down, gently caressing her cheek. "Look, now is not the time to think about those things. You said you wanted to go up there. Go get dressed and I will take you."

She nodded, "Marshall said it might make Rayna's girls feel better. It's nothing big, but it's something, I guess."

"Yeah," he said. "It's something."

* * *

**I promise in the next chapter we will have more Rayna and Deacon, but really, at this point, they are under anesthesia! :)**


End file.
